There is a lot of talk about protein these days and many of you are probably wondering if you are eating enough protein, especially if you are an active person. In today’s post, I’ll review what protein does in the body and how much of it you should eat based on your age and activity level. I’ll also discuss protein supplements and what to watch out for if you choose to add them to your diet.

Water tends to be an essential nutrient that most people forget about. As adults, the body is made up of about 60% water; that’s a lot! Read on to learn why water is so important and how much we should be drinking each day, plus my favorite options for making your water taste better if it isn’t your favorite go-to beverage.

Minerals are another one of six essential nutrients and, like vitamins, they play a vital role in overall health. Today’s post is all about major and trace minerals, their function, and in which foods they can be found.

Have you ever wondered what exactly vitamins do in the body? Or do you wonder which foods you can eat to make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need? Vitamins are one of six essential nutrients, meaning our bodies can’t make what we need on our own so we have to get them from food. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my previous posts which focus on the other essential nutrients. Today, I’ll outline all of the vitamins, why they are important, and the best food sources for each.

Meat is often what comes to mind when thinking of protein, but it is not the only source! Protein is one of six essential nutrients that are required by the body in order to function (be sure to read last week’s post if you are looking for more information about the other five essential nutrients). Today I’ll discuss the function of protein, main sources of it in the diet, and how much we need to eat (hint: it’s a lot less than you may think!).

There is so much information out there about what is healthy and what isn't, so over the next few weeks I’ll start from the beginning and talk about why eating the right foods can keep you healthy and feeling great! Today I’ll focus on the six essential nutrients our bodies need in order to function properly.

Carbohydrates, or carbs, are found in a wide variety of foods. Carbs are often thought of as “bad,” but they are an important part of all diets. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share all that I know about carbs and why they are so good for us despite some of the fad diets out there. Today I’ll focus on why we need carbs, why they are important, what to look for on nutrition labels, and what foods to find them in.